for the love of all baked goods

Archive for November 13th, 2010

Since Thanksgiving is just 2 weeks away in the States, I have already been planning out the recipes I want to try this season for when I go to New York. The day after Thanksgiving is the official start of the Holiday season and the official date of my holiday cookie baking. To start the wheel rolling, I am making Pistachio Pinwheels. You can use any flavor jam or preserves you like, but don’t use jelly – it’s too thin and will liquefy during baking. Oh, and feel free to try different nut meats as well. How about walnuts with a fig jam filling?? I just happen to love pistachios and raspberries so that it what I am going with. This recipe is courtesy of Cuisine at Home Holiday Baking

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
Using a hand or standing mixer, cream the butter, shortening, and sugars in a bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy – about 5 minutes. Add the egg and pistachio extract; beat on low-speed until fully blended. Add half of the flour mixture and beat until well combined. Add the remaining flour, beating only until the flour is incorporated. Stir in the nuts.
Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap, pressing dough into a rectangle about 1 1/2 inches thick. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours or more.
While the dough is chilling, stir together the jam and cornstarch for the filling in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes then place in the fridge for at least one hour (while your cookie dough is chilling) .

Roll one portion of the dough out between parchment paper to form a 10 x 12 inch rectangle, 1/8 inch thick. Remove the top piece of parchment. When I trimmed mine it was 9 x 11. Spread 1/2 C of the cooled filling over the dough leaving a 1/2 inch border all the way around. Roll the dough tightly into a log along the long side using the parchment paper to help you keep it even and tight. Wrap the log in parchment twisting the ends of the paper. Repeat with the other portion of cookie dough. Chill logs 4 to 24 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Cut the well chilled dough into 1/2 slices and place on your baking sheet 2 inches apart.

Bake, one sheet at a time, until lightly browned around the edges, about 15 minutes

MAKE AHEAD DIRECTIONS:

Wrap logs in foil. Freeze up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge before cutting and baking